Aleksei Antonov

Aleksei Innokentievich Antonov (9 September 1896-16 June 1962) was a General of the Soviet Red Army who served as Chief of the General Staff during the last months of World War II and as commander of the Transcaucasian Military District during the Cold War.

Biography
Aleksei Innokentievich Antonov was born in Grodno, Grodno Governorate, Russian Empire on 9 September 1896 to a family of Tatar Kryashens. He graduated from the Frunze Military Academy in 1921 and served in the Red Army during the Russian Civil War, going on to become an instructor at his alma mater in 1938. In 1941, he became chief of staff of the Southwestern Front and the Southern Front, and he became Deputy Chief General Staff and Head of the Operations Directorate in December 1942, giving him a pivotal role in the Stavka. Antonov appeared at several conferences alongside Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, serving as Chief Spokesman. In February 1945, he became formal leader of the General Staff after Alexander Vasilevsky was appointed commander of the 3rd Belarusian Front; Antonov had previously exercised these responsibilities during Vasilevsky's frequent absences. After the war, he commanded the Transcaucasian Military District, and he served as Chief of Staff of the Combined Forces of the Warsaw Pact from 1955 until his death in 1962.